“I’m a Boy that was born as a Girl,

and has to prove myself every day

that I am man enough for the world”

The above quote isn’t just a word together; it has a lot of pain behind it, an inspiration, and a message for all of us.

In a country where there is a lot of social injustice exists, people are assessed by their appearances. Among us, there is one group that is the worst treated and the most ignorant of all. The discrimination against them is still in abundance. But one person from that community, known as the ‘third gender’ took a stand and became an inspiration.

In this part of our Unsung Heroes series, I’m going to talk about a fearless, enthusiastic, optimistic human being named ‘Joyita Mondal‘. Born in a Hindu family in Kolkata, West Bengal.  Joyita was named ‘Joyonto’ (a male) initially. However, after a while, when she got to know about her identity as a transgender, she hid it from our society, but eventually came out against all the odds.

According to the 2011 census, there are around 5 million transgender people in India, most of whom are victimised by society. People judged them as sex workers and only called them in the auspicious events to congratulate and give blessings.

But no one ever wants to know their tragic stories and what they are going through with all the nuisance and hatred.

Whereas Joyita Mondal chooses her own way to be a symbol of inspiration. Let us unfold her story from school dropout to India’s First Transgender Judge.

Joyita Mondal’s Early Life And Discrimination

Joyita Mondal’s life is no less than a miserable life, with lots of discrimination, hate, failure, perhaps she was strong enough to never let her morale down. At the age of 10, she found her interest in wearing clothes like girls, playing with dolls, and every girly thing.

However, she was not supposed to do that because she was born a boy. And her family was not expecting that opposite behaviour from her side. She revealed, “I would dress as a girl when I went outside and change before the house I returned”.

Her anguish can be examined by knowing that she dropped out of school after the 10th class because she was unable to conform to the gender norms imposed on her. She was bullied all the time because of her appearance.

Often time she kept hiding her identity and her liking for girly things from society.

Recalling the tough time, she said, “I didn’t tell my family that I was unable to take verbal bullying by other boys in my school. I just told my mother that I had got a job in Dinajpur, and I wanted to go there. I told her that I would come back in two months if things didn’t work out, and she consented”.

However, she lied and came to Islampur in the Uttar Dinajpur district and never went back. Her problems hadn’t halted yet, she was suffering from basic needs like food, shelter & health.

Nobody there was ready to give her a room in the hotel because of the typical stereotypes, and also prohibited her from entering the restaurants even after she was ready to pay.

Doctors refused to give her proper treatment because she was from another group. Police refused to file a complaint and insulted her in the police station, calling her undisciplined and dishonest. 

All these things shattered her from inside, but her dreams were bigger than these hurdles. Afterwards, she decided to start a new journey and fight against the social injustice that prevails for these people.

From School Dropout To India’s First Transgender Judge

When approximately every hotel refused to give her a hotel room, she made the nearest bus stop a shelter. She used to sleep at night there and sometimes also begged on the streets for food.

Later, she decided to join Kinnar Samaj (a group of trans people), where she started to go to parties and big events to earn money. In India, people treat their arrival and blessings as good luck, but never pay respect to them. The discrimination and ignorance still threaten the survival and livelihoods of the community.

Moreover, many transgender people go to a marriage function or birth anniversaries to give blessings for getting some money in return. The same became the daily schedule for Joyita, but her goal was different.

She decided to complete her education first, which she chose to take her education through correspondence. Because the earlier hate and mockery against her by her classmates had shattered her badly. She got herself a Law degree.

But that was not enough to break the stereotypical thinking of the society. She decided to work for the welfare of people, especially for the community to which she belongs.

She later started an organisation with her local transgender friend’s name, Dinajpur Noton Alo Society, on January 10, 2010, which helped thousands of people in the district.

Over the seven years after the inception of Dinajpur Noton Alo society (also known as Dinajpur New Light), it has grown to help over 2000 transgender people in the region. After the commendable success of her organisation, her confidence was boosted to new heights, and she decided to expand her social work further.

In an interview, she said, “A year after registration in 2011, I got my first big break in a foreign project for legal aid to transgender of the region in 2012. I gave legal aid to 200 transgender people during that project, and was appreciated by the government. Since then, we built an old-age shelter in 2015 and got voter ID cards made for transgender people in two brothels in Islampur”.

It’s amazing to know that Joyita Mondal is the first transgender person to get a voter ID card in her district. Also, she is the first transgender person to vote in the elections from her district.

Legal Right To Transgender In India Gave Joyita Mondal A New Hope

After having a legal right to trans people in India, many transgender people got a new hope to achieve their dreams. They can now plan their life according to themselves, and they can now move freely. I remember that one famous quote from MANABI BANDYOPADHYAY that sheds light on the above revolution:

“Be Yourself, The World Will Adjust”

Manabi BAndyopadhyay

The Transgender Person (Protection Of Right) Act, 2019 (Transgender Person Act) seeks to recognise the identity of a transgender person and prohibit discrimination in, inter alia, the fields of education, employment, healthcare, holding or disposing of property, holding public or private office and access to and use of public services and benefits.

In light of the above law, the Indian government decided to appoint Joyita Mondal as the First Transgender Judge of Islampur Lok Adalat (Civil Court) in July 2017.

It’s exciting that earlier she used to spend restless bedtimes in the bus stand, and now she is the judge of the Lok Adalat, which is just 10 minutes away from that same bus stand.

However, Joyita’s motive is much bigger than being a Justice; she wants to break the stereotypical mentality of society towards transgender people. She said, “A handful of us becoming judges, principals won’t bring a change. Still, Transgenders are working as sex workers and begging on trains, individual success means nothing”.

Also read: The Dark Side of Sex Workers’ Lives

Her dream is to provide education to other transgender individuals and urge the government to appoint them at least as a group D staff, where physical labour is involved. She said, “Even if 2-3% of transgender people in Islampur get dignified jobs, I would consider my appointment as beneficial for my community. They would not have to work as sex Workers for 200-300 Rs and begging on a train or streets”.

Heroes like Joyita Mondal not only inspire us but also give a light of hope to the vulnerable section of India, who have been fighting for their rights for decades. Not only Joyita Mondal but also many transgender also work for their community. Like Manabi Bandyopadhyay, the first transgender Ph.D. professor of India. Padmini Prakash, the first Tamil TV news anchor. Kalki Subramaniam, an International speaker, trans activist, and many more.

But still, society won’t recognise the crucial part they’re playing, still, some stereotypical thinking keeps them ignorant and vulnerable. Why transgender is still a punishment?

Hope everyone will teach their child, they’re not different, they are as human as us.

Source:

• Meet the First Transgender judge of India– Womensenews.org
• From sleeping in bus stand to first transgender Judge– Drilers.com

Do let us know about the Unsung heroes you know that are doing or did tremendous work for the betterment of society. We’ll be glad to do more research about them and will write a tribute dedicated to them.

The post First Transgender Judge Of India – Joyita Mondal appeared first on Aspiring Blog.

Everything that started for a reason later turned into something else (like evil) or sometimes completely disappeared. So, is the same happening with democracy too? Is democracy really dying?

As time flows things never remain the same, a new generation, a new representative of the public, a new government, new perspectives, and new laws (some are beneficial for the public but some are just a threat to the democracy) makes everything worse to worsen. The term Democracy is itself changing rapidly. I will try to illuminate how?

Before we go any further let us have a look at the meaning and brief History of Democracy.

What Is Democracy?

Democracy is a form of government in which peoples have the power to choose the legislature and their representative, people choose their government by using their voting rights in which only eligible voters (above 18 years old) can vote.

In a democratic country, people can exercise their power to choose their representative or ruling Government directly or indirectly through a system involving periodic free elections. It is a democratic system of government.

India and United States are known to be the two largest democratic countries in the World.

And, Norway, Iceland, Sweden, New Zealand, and Finland are the top 5 Full Democracies nations according to the Democracy Index by country 2019 (source:-Wikipedia)

Why Democratic Country Needs a Constitution?

The constitution helps in making rules and regulations and principles of a country. In a Democracy, every citizen enjoys the basic right, so on that grounds, the constitution helps citizens to use fundamental rights like freedom, expression, speech, etc. The constitution helps in setting values that should be followed by its law-abiding citizens.

Democracy is further classified on the basis of political freedom or mixed monarchies and dictatorship. This include –

1. Full Democracies
2. Flawed Democracies
3. Hybrid Regimes
4. Authoritarian Regimes

A Brief History of Democracy

Democracy has a vast history but we will not go in-depth, the term Democracy originated from ancient Greek political and philosophical thought in the city-state of Athens during classical antiquity. In the word Democracy, ‘demos’ mean common people and ‘Kratos’ strength.

Cleisthenes, also known as the Father of democracy, was an ancient Greece that came into power with the support of the Athenian people. Athenians established what is generally held as the first democracy in 508-507 BC.

Different Types of Democracy

There are two major types of Democracy –

• Direct Democracy:- It is a form of Democracy where people govern directly. It requires the wide participation of citizens in politics. It also is known as pure democracy. These nations seem to have only limited problems in their democratic functioning.
• Representative Democracy:- It is an indirect democracy where Sovereignty is held by the people’s representatives. Electoral Democracy, Dominant party System, parliamentary Democracy (popular in India), Presidential Democracy, and Jacksonian Democracy (a variant of presidential democracy popular in the USA) are the types of Representative Democracy.

As of now, there are two major Democracies one is considered to be the superpower and another one is the largest Democracy in the world. The USA is considered the superpower nation of the world and can exert influence or project power on a global scale.

Whereas, India or Hindustan, or Bharat is known for its walk with everyone’s motto and secular country. If the USA has the largest economy then India has the largest variety of cultures, and rituals are among the most diversified countries in the world, and of course known for its population and colorful history.

But in-ground reality where do both these countries stand in terms of the level of democracy?

Every democratic country needs a strong constitution that clearly defines the fundamental rights, freedom, legitimized rights, liberties, and security of their citizen so that no dominant group can exercise its power against less powerful groups. As I said above the meaning and perspective of democracy are changing rapidly. This new generation is more into politics. They know when their rights are overruled by these giants or greedy politicians.

I recently noticed some grounds where I think that the basic concept of democracy is dying and its constitution is really counting its last breath. I also agree that many of you will not agree with my perspectives and why I said and think that democracy or freedom to express one’s thoughts is soon going to be overruled. For me, this is what is going on in my country and perhaps yours too.

Here are the 5 grounds Where Democracy is Dying

1. Elections
2. Security
3. Media
4. Equality
5. Healthcare

Elections

Elections are the most awaited time for delegates and citizens. If the United States has to wait every 4 years so India has to wait for 5 years. Every citizen has a hope that this time will be different and newcomers will make a good change. An election is a process through which a citizen can exercise their power of the vote to select a favorable candidate. but wait! Here’s the biggest twist.

There is presidential democracy in the United States where two major parties (Democratic & Republic) have their candidate for presidential posts and there is a long process behind that, but if there is democracy so why the citizens cannot elect their representatives? Why do the representatives make the choice or prefer only that community where there is a chance of vote? Why did only powerful and rich men get a chance for a presidential post?

Same as in India there are plenty of parties but the major ones are Indian National Congress (INC), and the Ruling Bhartiya Janta party (BJP). If we go through the background of the politicians, the majority have a criminal record, are millionaires, and are uneducated. So where is the Democracy?

Why don’t we have the power to choose the right candidate? Why the common people have become just a voting machine for them?

Security

We all have the right to live and freedom of speech as per the constitution, and the law is there to protect us from threats and injustice that happens to us, but that security is only in the books of the constitution or perhaps we didn’t understand this concept completely.

A report suggests that there are less than 20% of people today can say that they trust their government.

There are 106 rape occurs in India and in every 15 minutes one woman becomes a victim of a rapist, and a majority of the cases don’t even report.

Whereas in the USA, having a license for a gun is easier than having a green card. By the end of 2019, there were 417 mass shootings happened in the United States.

CBS News wrote:- “There were more mass shootings than days in 2019”

In the Year 2020 graph of ‘shooting a person’ declined, just because of the coronavirus lockdown. So where is the right of citizens to live freely?

Media

This is the fourth pillar of democracy and the most important part of democracy, the whole country trusts the media more than the government. Media works or I can say ‘had worked’ to present the reality and true picture of what is going on in the country.

But now it is all just a TRP game. They become business-minded, but anyway they are corporates too. For me, the media is losing the trust we had in them. Now we have to search for each and every piece of news from different sources for its authenticity.

We are bound to do this, we can’t just stick to a particular source for trust reasons. Now you can see why people get teed off at the media. Media plays an important role in political influence in the country and the fact is they are really enjoying that.

Instead of loving people and using money, people often love money and use people

Wayne Gerard Trotman

The above quote is appropriate for the Indian media that greed has stirred truth and has far removed citizens from their rights. Once Rusty Eric said “as long as Greed is stronger than compassion, there will always be suffering” and exactly the citizens are suffering.

The media never shows what is true. They are too busy telecasting useless debates and inappropriate news and competing in their industry.

Whose fault is this? The government? Media? Or us? who still watching and trusting them.

Equality

When we talk about equality there can be a lot to discuss but in the very short term, equality means, equal rights for all. There is no discrimination on the basis of caste, race, gender, or religion. The constitution is built to protect equal rights.

However, no one could ever imagine that political influence can even amend these constitutions accordingly which makes it easy for their own rules and capital. Everything will be forgotten after winning the elections whether it is George Floyd in America or Casteism in India.

Healthcare

The true picture of Healthcare facilities has been shown during the coronavirus period. If one country has the most expensive healthcare system so another one expends only 1% of GDP on healthcare facilities.

Of course, India ranks 145 among 195 countries in terms of healthcare facilities. And with the most expensive healthcare, the USA ranks 7 among the 195 countries.

Despite the largest economy and the largest democracy, we don’t have equality in terms of health benefits, so don’t you think democracy is dying? In India, patients lack basic needs like ambulances, stretchers, emergency wards, and medicine, and in the USA if these things are available then because of the expensive healthcare systems, it is unaffordable for middle and lower-class people despite paying huge taxes.

Salaries of Americans have risen but net pay remains the same due to increasing charges of health insurance. Why the healthcare expenditure in the United States?

Democracy was incorporated so that we could elect the right Representative for the country but we have just become slaves to powerful people’s business model.

As I said above everything that started for a reason later turned into something evil. For instance, the Feminist movement that has started to protect and provide equal rights to women and empower them by giving them equal opportunities as a man has too turned into something else. How? You can read it here.

So, what do you think Is democracy really dying the silent death?

P.S:- I am just trying to express my opinion about the flaws in Democracy and it is my personal view. If anyone wants a healthy discussion to improve me on this topic feel free to express your views in the comment section. I would love to read them all.

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